Can I sell homemade jam in Alabama?

By Dwight Davis, Founder

Updated October 2026

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The county review, step by step Which spreads go straight to market, and which need a test Where you can sell, and where you can't Online orders and mailing jars What the Alabama label adds If your product falls outside the law Who to call in Alabama Pricing your first Alabama jars References

Yes. Alabama's Cottage Food Law lists "jam, jellies, and fruit preserves" by name, and there is no permit, no kitchen inspection and, since the income limit was removed, no sales cap [1]. The one thing you must do before your first sale is pass a food safety course the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) accepts, then take the certificate, a sample label and a Cottage Food Review Form to your county health department [1]. After that you can sell to anyone in Alabama, in person or online.

The county review, step by step

Take an approved food safety course. Alabama Cooperative Extension runs one written for cottage food operators; ADPH also accepts any course from an ANSI-accredited food safety program [1]. Keep the certificate current. If it lapses, you retake a course [1].
Fill in the Cottage Food Review Form from the ADPH cottage food page [1].
Make a sample label for each product (details below).
Take all three to your county health department. The department reviews the paperwork and labels; it does not inspect your kitchen [1].
Ask about the fee. ADPH says fees "vary by county" [1].

Which spreads go straight to market, and which need a test

Traditional jam and jelly are the easy case. Extension's acid and acidified products sheet says "traditional fruit jams and jellies" are examples of products that "may be exempt from testing requirements" [3]. Other preserves are less clear, and Alabama's two official sources describe the line differently.

Product	What the sources say	What that means for you
Fruit jam, jelly, preserves, marmalade	Listed as allowed by ADPH [1] and Extension [2]	Sell after the county review
Fruit butters (apple, peach, pear)	Extension lists them among foods that can be sold "with a safe water activity of less than 0.88 or pH level less than 4.2," tested by an approved lab or processing authority for a fee [2]	Plan on a lab result before the first sale
Pepper jelly	Not named by ADPH or Extension. ADPH requires pH verification for "fermented or preserved vegetables or fruit" [1]	Peppers are a low-acid vegetable; treat it as an acidified food and get the pH verified
Low-sugar or no-sugar jam	Not addressed [1] [2]	Ask the county before you make it for sale
Freezer jam	Not addressed [1] [2]	Ask; a jam that must stay frozen sits outside the usual shelf-stable logic
Pumpkin butter	Not addressed by name	Pumpkin has no tested home canning process [4]; do not sell it canned

The pH 4.2 figure comes from Extension, not ADPH; the health department page gives no number [1] [2]. Your own pH meter is not enough for the first approval of a product that needs verification; the initial test comes from an approved laboratory [3]. Why pepper jelly is treated this way is on pepper jelly, and what a reading means is on measuring pH.

One detail matters for wine or liqueur jellies: ADPH says non-potentially hazardous foods with less than 3 percent alcohol may be sold, and sends anything above that to the Alabama Beverage Control Board [1].

Where you can sell, and where you can't

You sell directly to the person who will eat the jam. That can happen from your home or from a venue that does not hold a health department permit, such as "a mobile food unit, van, cart, tent, booth, or storefront" [1]. The limits:

No permitted food establishments. You cannot sell from a shop, restaurant or food truck that holds a health permit, and those businesses cannot sell your jam [1].
No consignment. ADPH says a cottage producer "may only sell their products directly to consumers" [1]. Extension adds restaurants, grocery stores and novelty shops to the no list [2].
Farmers markets are overseen by the Farmers Market Authority of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries; ask the market and the Authority about their rules [1].

Online orders and mailing jars

Alabama is more open than many states here. You may sell "in person, by phone, or online as long as the receiving person is in Alabama," and deliver in person, through an agent who works for you, or by mail within the state [1]. A buyer in Georgia or Florida is off limits. Packing jars for the mail is covered on shipping jam.

What the Alabama label adds

Every item on the label must be at least 10-point type [1]:

the common or usual name of the food
the name of your cottage food operation
your home or P.O. box address
ingredients in descending order of predominance
a statement that the food is not inspected by the Health Department
a statement that the food may contain allergens

ADPH does not print exact wording. Extension's fact sheet gives it as "This product may contain allergens. This food is not inspected by the Health Department." [2]. A QR code cannot stand in for any of these items [1]. Federal rules add net weight and allergen naming; they are on what a jam label must say.

If your product falls outside the law

ADPH's cottage page does not describe the permit for making jam in a licensed facility. Ask the ADPH Division of Food, Milk and Lodging, and read when you need a licensed kitchen.

Who to call in Alabama

Your county health department handles the review. The rules come from the Alabama Department of Public Health's Cottage Food page, which cites Code of Alabama § 22-20-5.1 [1]. For pH testing and the cottage food course, contact your county Extension office [2]. This page was last verified in October 2026.

Pricing your first Alabama jars

With no cap, the question becomes what each jar must earn. Work it out on how to price jam, and compare Alabama with its neighbors on selling jam in your state.